A wireless mobile device, when first sold or after a data purge, may be a raw device without configuration information. A user of the device can perform an initial setup of the device before a first use. The initial setup can include connecting to a registration server and registering the device with the registration server. The device can receive various certificates from the registration server upon registration. Using the certificates, the device can perform various setup tasks such as designating a cellular carrier, creating a network identity, registering at online stores, among others. At setup time, the device may not yet have an account known to a cellular carrier. Accordingly, to connect to the registration server, the device can use a wired connection, for example through a universal serial bus (USB) cable to a wired or wireless device that is connected to the registration server. The device can also attempt to connect to the registration server through an open wireless network